August 21, 2008

What Would Your Last Lecture Be?

In May I was given The Last Lecture, a book by Randy Pausch with Jeff Zaslow, and it provided me with my latest dose of reality.

On July 25th Randy Pausch died. A professor at Carnegie Mellon he took an opportunity to give a "Last Lecture" usually given by a retiring professor. Randy's lecture wasn't about being diagnosed with terminal cancer or what to do with a life with an expiration date. His lecture was all about achieving your dreams and the great realities we make as a result. Not only did he achieve almost all of his dreams...but he has inspired millions. One of those millions was me.

The book is the background history, thoughts and feelings that went into the content he chose to share in his 116 min last lecture you can watch "Really Acheiving Your Childhood Dreams" on YouTube. I'd also suggest checking out The Last Lecture website too to find out more about Randy and his dreams.

This posting isn't about Randy's lecture. It's about yours. What will you leave behind? What legacy will you leave for others to ponder? What will you be remembered for? What are you doing right now that you'd be proud to leave for others? Will you leave anything?

Surely we don't have to do anything. Death and taxes I believe are the only two certain things, so said Ben Franklin. They're the only two things you have to do...and some people even try to cheat both of them.

I could stop here and just leave the rhetorical question hanging out there and leave you to figure it out for yourself. We both know no one can answer the question except you.

I've thought about what my last lecture would be but like many other things in my life...I'm not done yet. The power of education, the experience of seeing beyond common borders and the impact others bring in life are three things that I have used to help me make my trip thus far both enjoyable and rewarding. But there's much more to it. For now I'm going to remind myself that the ride won't last forever and I'll keep on being the student of life I am and share it with everyone I meet as well, especially those closest to me.

Take a few minutes and watch Randy's video and see the passion, curiosity, love and reward Randy had for life. Think about what your last lecture might be...and if you don't like the title or the outline...you can change it. You just have to make a choice to do so.

Comments

Hi Peter,

Interesting Post....

First of all, I want to tell you how much I enjoyed the week of training you provided in Leesburg, I look forward to using my new found knowledge.

The reason I found this post so interesting is that when my wife picked me up at the airport the evening after I left your course (July 25th) she was excited to tell me about Randy's story. When we arrived home we sat down and watched the "Last Lecture" YouTube video.

After watching the video I was impressed with Randy's outlook and life lessons. I was also eager to mention to my wife the fact that my instructor (you) was also very impressive and passionate about life and learning/teaching. I mentioned that you seemed to have similar ideals. It was a bit strange for both of us to come to the same realization at the same time from two different sources.

We talked about how we are applying some of Randy's, and your outlook to our lives and perhaps how we can change the ways we look at things.

Peter, I just finished this book and was going to post my thoughts on my blog. Glad you commented about Randy. When I finished the book I felt like a conversation I was having with Randy ended, unfortunately. This story really inspired me and will continue to both personally and professionally. Pursuing childhood dreams and enabling the dreams of others are the BIG themes in Randy's life and his story. Glad I read this, I tell everyone I know about it. Thanks for posting.